Novel Ag3PO4/CeO2 composite with high efficiency and stability for photocatalytic applications

A novel Ag3PO4/CeO2 composite was fabricated by in situ wrapping CeO2 nanoparticles with Ag3PO4 through a facile precipitation method. The photocatalytic properties of Ag3PO4/CeO2 were evaluated by the photocatalytic degradation of MB and phenol under visible light and UV light irradiation. The photocatalytic activity of the composite is much higher than that of pure Ag3PO4 or CeO2. The rate constant of MB degradation over Ag3PO4/CeO2 is more than 2 times and 20 times than those of pure Ag3PO4 and CeO2 under visible light irradiation, respectively. The Ag3PO4/CeO2 composite photocatalyst also shows higher photocatalytic activity for the colorless phenol degradation compared to pure Ag3PO4. Moreover, the Ag3PO4/CeO2 sample has almost no loss of photocatalytic activity after five recycles under the irradiation of visible light and UV light, indicating that the composite has good photocatalytic stability. The excellent photocatalytic activity of the Ag3PO4/CeO2 composite is closely related to the fast transfer and efficient separation of electron-hole pairs at the interfaces of the two semiconductors derived from the matching band positions between CeO2 and Ag3PO4. This newly constructed Ag3PO4/CeO2 composite, with promising and fascinating visible light-driven photocatalytic activity as well as good stability, could find potential applications in environmental purification and solar energy conversion.